2015 Shark Finning

Report to Congress
 2015 Shark Finning Report to Congress

Pursuant to the

Shark Finning Prohibition Act

(Public Law 106-557)

U.S. Department of Commerce

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Prepared by the

National Marine Fisheries Service

Introduction

This report describes the efforts of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations
(NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) during calendar year 2014 to implement the
Shark Finning Prohibition Act and more recent shark conservation legislation. The 2000 Shark
Finning Prohibition Act amended the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (MSA) to prohibit the practice of shark finning by any person under U.S. jurisdiction.

The 2000 Shark Finning Prohibition Act requires NMFS to promulgate regulations to implement
its provisions, initiate discussion with other nations to develop international agreements on shark
finning and data collection, provide Congress with annual reports describing efforts to carry out
the Shark Finning Prohibition Act, and establish research programs.

Background

The practice of shark finning and shark bycatch in some fisheries can affect the status of shark
stocks and the sustainability of their exploitation in world fisheries. By 2000, global shark
catches reported to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) had
tripled since 1950, reaching an all-time high of 888,000 tons. Since then, there has been about a
15 percent decrease in catches, to 765,000 tons in 2012. However, research suggests the actual
number of sharks landed internationally each year is underestimated (Clarke et al. 2006 ). For
2013, global imports of shark fins were approximately 27,000 metric tons (mt), the largest
volume since 2009. In 2013, the average value of shark fin imports decreased to $7,230/mt,
while the average value of exports decreased to $12,637/mt. Malaysia was the largest importer
and Thailand the largest exporter of shark fins for 2013. In response to concerns about growing
shark harvests internationally, many countries have banned shark fishing in their waters in favor
of promoting tourism opportunities. In addition, many other nations have adopted finning bans,
including: Bahamas, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Maldives, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, and Taiwan.

The MSA, as amended by the Shark Finning Prohibition Act and the Shark Conservation Act, is
the Federal law governing the conservation and management of Federal fisheries in the United
States. The suite of conservation and management measures required of all Federal fisheries
under the MSA makes the United States a leader in the sustainable management of domestic
shark fisheries. In 2014, three out of 34 U.S. shark stocks or stock complexes (8 percent) were
listed as subject to overfishing, and five shark stocks (15 percent) were listed as overfished.
Fifteen stocks or stock complexes (45 percent) had an unknown overfishing status, and 17 shark
stocks or stock complexes (50 percent) had an unknown overfished status (Table 1).

In the United States, shark finning has been prohibited since 2000. In 2011, President Obama
signed the Shark Conservation Act of 2010, which amended the High Seas Driftnet Fishing
Moratorium Protection Act and the 2000 Shark Finning Prohibition Act provisions of the MSA

1
Clarke, S., M.K. McAllister, E.J. Milner-Gulland, G.P. Kirkwood, C.G.J. Michielsens, D.J. Agnew, E.K. Pikitch,
H. Nakano, and M.S. Shivji. 2006. Global estimates of shark catches using trade records from commercial markets.
Ecology Letters 10:11151126.

to further improve domestic and international shark conservation measures, including even
stronger prohibitions against shark finning. In addition, many U.S. States and territories have
passed laws addressing the possession, sale, trade, or distribution of shark fins, including Hawaii
(2010), California (2011), Oregon (2011), Washington (2011), the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands (2011), Guam (2011), American Samoa (2012), Illinois (2012),
Maryland (2013), Delaware (2013), New York (2013), and Massachusetts (2014).

Domestically, the Shark Conservation Act states that it is illegal to remove any of the fins of a
shark (including the tail) at sea; to have custody, control, or possession of any such fin aboard a
fishing vessel unless it is naturally attached to the corresponding carcass; to transfer any such fin
from one vessel to another vessel at sea, or to receive any such fin in such transfer, without the
fin naturally attached to the corresponding carcass; or to land any such fin that is not naturally
attached to the corresponding carcass, or to land any shark carcass without such fins naturally
attached. These provisions improved the United States ability to enforce shark finning
prohibitions in domestic shark fisheries. The 2010 Act also created an exemption for smooth
dogfish (Mutelis canis) in the Atlantic if the individual holds a valid State commercial fishing
license, unless the total weight of smooth dogfish fins landed or found on board a vessel to which
this subsection applies exceeds 12 percent of the total weight of smooth dogfish carcasses landed
or found on board.

The Shark Conservation Act amended the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act
in two important ways. First, it requires the Secretary of Commerce to identify a nation if two or
more fishing vessels of that nation have been engaged in fishing activities or practices in
international waters that target or incidentally catch sharks and if that nation has not adopted a
regulatory program to provide for the conservation of sharks, including measures to prohibit
removal of shark fins at sea. Second, it directs the United States to urge international fishery
management organizations to which the United States is a member to adopt shark conservation
measures, such as prohibiting removal of shark fins at sea. It also directs the United States to
enter into international agreements that require measures for the conservation of sharks. These
approaches, along with our strong domestic shark fishery management, have made the United
States a leader in the conservation and management of sharks globally.

Table 1
Status of Shark Stocks and Stock Complexes
in U.S. Fisheries in 2014
Fishery Management
Fishery
Plan (FMP) or
Management Stock or Stock Complex Overfishing Overfished
Fishery Ecosystem
Council (FMC)
Plan (FEP)
New England
FMC & Mid- Spiny Dogfish FMP Spiny dogfish Atlantic coast No No
Atlantic FMC
NMFS Highly Atlantic large coastal shark complex* Unknown Unknown
Consolidated Atlantic
Migratory
Highly Migratory Atlantic pelagic shark complex** Unknown Unknown
Species
Species FMP Atlantic sharpnose shark-Atlantic No No
Division

 Atlantic sharpnose shark- Gulf of

No No
Mexico
Blacknose shark Atlantic Yes Yes
Blacknose shark Gulf of Mexico Unknown Unknown
Blacktip shark Gulf of Mexico No No
Blacktip shark Atlantic Unknown Unknown
Blue shark Atlantic and Gulf of
No No
Mexico
Bonnethead Atlantic Unknown Unknown
Dusky shark Atlantic and Gulf of
Yes Yes
Mexico
Finetooth shark Atlantic and Gulf
No No
of Mexico
Porbeagle Atlantic and Gulf of
No Yes
Mexico
Sandbar shark Atlantic and Gulf of
No Yes
Mexico
Scalloped hammerhead shark
Yes Yes
Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico
Shortfin mako Atlantic No No
Leopard shark Pacific Coast No No
Pacific Coast Groundfish
Pacific FMC Spiny dogfish Pacific Coast No No
FMP
Soupfin (Tope) Pacific Coast No No
U.S. West Coast Thresher shark North Pacific No No
Pacific FMC &
Fisheries for Highly Shortfin mako shark North Pacific Unknown Unknown
Western
Migratory Species &
Pacific FMC
Pacific Pelagic FEP Blue shark North Pacific No No
Longfin mako shark North Pacific Unknown Unknown
FEP for Pelagic Oceanic whitetip shark Tropical
Western Fisheries of the Western Unknown Unknown
Pacific
Pacific FMC Pacific Region (Pacific
Pelagic FEP) Salmon shark North Pacific Unknown Unknown
Silky shark Tropical Pacific Unknown Unknown
Western American Samoa American Samoa Coral Reef
Unknown Unknown
Pacific FMC FEP Ecosystem Multi-Species Complex
Guam Coral Reef Ecosystem Multi-
Unknown Unknown
Western Mariana Archipelago Species Complex
Pacific FMC FEP Northern Mariana Islands Coral Reef
Unknown Unknown
Ecosystem Multi-Species Complex
Pacific Island Remote Areas Coral
Western Pacific Remote Islands
Reef Ecosystem Multi-Species Unknown Unknown
Pacific FMC Areas FEP
Complex
North Pacific Gulf of Alaska
Gulf of Alaska Shark Complex No Unknown
FMC Groundfish FMP
North Pacific Bering Sea/Aleutian Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Shark
No Unknown
FMC Islands Groundfish FMP Complex

 Western
Hawaiian Archipelago Hawaiian Archipelago Coral Reef
Pacific FMC Unknown Unknown
FEP Ecosystem Multi-Species Complex
3 yes 5 yes
16 no 12 no
Totals:
15 unknown 17 unknown

* LCS complex assessed in 2006. Since then, species-specific assessments have been performed only on individual

species.

** Pelagic sharks are now being assessed individually. The only pelagic sharks that have not had a species-specific

assessment are common thresher and oceanic whitetip sharks.

2014 Accomplishments in Response to Requirements of the Shark Finning Prohibition Act

Report to Congress

Section 6 of the Shark Finning Prohibition Act requires the Secretary of Commerce, in
consultation with the Secretary of State, to provide to Congress an annual report describing
efforts to carry out the Act. Report requirements are:

1. Include a list that identifies nations whose vessels conduct shark finning and detail the
extent of the international trade in shark fins, including estimates of value and
information on harvesting, landings, or transshipment of shark fins.
2. Describe and evaluate the progress taken to carry out this Act.
3. Set forth a plan of action to adopt international measures for the conservation of sharks.
4. Include recommendations for measures to ensure that the actions of the United States are
consistent with national, international, and regional obligations relating to shark
populations, including those listed under the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).

NMFS accomplishments to carry out the Act are discussed below. An appendix including
detailed information on U.S. shark management and enforcement (section 1), imports and
exports of shark fins (section 2), international shark efforts (section 3), 2014 NOAA research on
sharks (section 4), ongoing NOAA shark research (section 5), and references (section 6) has been
posted online. A copy of this report and the appendix are available online at:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/laws_policies/sca/shark_finning_reports.html.

Regarding the first requirement for this report, no reliable information exists to determine
whether a nations vessels caught sharks on the high seas or conducted finning. However, data
on the international trade of shark fins are available from the FAO, and data on U.S. imports and
exports of shark fins are available from the U.S. Census Bureau. It is important to note that, due
to the complexity of the shark fin trade, fins are not necessarily harvested by the same country
from which they are exported. During 2014, shark fins were imported through the following
U.S. Customs and Border Protection districts: Los Angeles, Miami, and New York. In 2014,
countries of origin were New Zealand and Hong Kong (see table 2.1.1 in section 2 of the
appendix). The mean value of imports per metric ton has consistently declined since 2010, with
a more pronounced drop between 2011 and 2012. The unit price of $13,000 per metric ton in
2014 was well below the mean value in 2008 of $59,000/mt. The majority of shark fins exported
in 2014 were sent from the United States to Hong Kong, with smaller amounts going to China

(Taipei), China, and South Korea (Table 2.2.1). The mean value of exports per metric ton has
decreased from $93,000/mt in 2010 to $52,000/mt in 2014, the lowest value since 2012, which
was the year with the largest weight of exports, at 51 mt. Detailed information regarding imports
and exports of shark fins can be found in section 2 of the appendix associated with this report.

Consistent with the second requirement for this report to Congress, all recent shark-related
management, enforcement, international, and research activities in support of the Shark Finning
Prohibition Act are summarized in the appendix. Sharks in Federal waters are managed under 11
fishery management plans under the authority of the MSA. The New England, Mid-Atlantic,
Pacific, North Pacific, and Western Pacific fishery management councils have developed 10 of
those plans. The Secretary of Commerce has developed the fishery management plan for
oceanic sharks and other highly migratory species of the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and
Caribbean Sea as required by the MSA.

During calendar year 2014, shark-related research took place at all six NOAA fisheries science
centers and included research on data collection, stock assessments, biological information,
incidental catch reduction, and post-release survival. Major management actions took place both
domestically and internationally. Domestically, a final rule to list two populations of scalloped
hammerhead sharks as threatened and two populations as endangered under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA) was published in 2014. NMFS also issued two 12-month findings in
response to petitions to list great hammerhead and dusky sharks under the ESA. In addition,
violations of the Shark Finning Prohibition Act, and noncompliance with regulations designed to
protect sharks, were detected, investigated, and referred for administrative prosecution in the
Southeast and West Coast Enforcement Divisions. Details on specific shark management,
enforcement, and education activities can be found in section 1 of the appendix, and information
on 2014 shark research activities can be found in sections 4 and 5 of the appendix.

In 2014, work continued to implement the requirements of the Shark Conservation Act of 2010
through three separate rulemakings. NMFS published a final rule in January 2013, which
amended the identification and certification procedures under the High Seas Driftnet Fishing
Moratorium Protection Act and amended the definition of illegal, unreported, or unregulated
fishing, consistent with the Shark Conservation Act. NMFS published a proposed rule in May
2013 to implement provisions of the Shark Conservation Act that prohibit any person from
removing any of the fins of a shark at sea, possessing shark fins on board a fishing vessel unless
they are naturally attached to the corresponding carcass, transferring or receiving fins from one
vessel to another at sea unless the fins are naturally attached to the corresponding carcass,
landing shark fins unless they are naturally attached to the corresponding carcass, or landing
shark carcasses without their fins naturally attached. NMFS is working to finalize that
rulemaking. The Shark Conservation Act included a provision that allowed for limited at-sea fin
removal of smooth dogfish caught in the Atlantic within 50 nautical miles of shore. On August
7, 2014, NMFS published a proposed rule (79 FR 46217) to, among other things, implement this
limited smooth dogfish exception. The comment period closed on November 14, 2014, and
more than 500 comments were received.

Regarding the third requirement for this report, the United States participated in the development
of and endorsed the FAO International Plan of Action (IPOA) for the Conservation and

Management of Sharks (IPOA-Sharks). The IPOA-Sharks calls on all FAO members to adopt a
corresponding National Plan of Action if their vessels conduct directed fisheries for sharks or if
their vessels regularly catch sharks in non-directed fisheries. In addition to meeting the statutory
requirement of the Shark Finning Prohibition Act, this annual Report to Congress serves as a
periodic update of information called for in both the International and National Plans of Action
for sharks. Consistent with the IPOA-Sharks, the United States developed a National Plan of
Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks in February 2001. Eleven other FAO
members have developed national plans of action, and a regional plan of action for the
Mediterranean Sea has been developed.

Regarding the fourth report requirement, NMFS continues to work with the Department of State
to promote the development of international agreements consistent with the Shark Finning
Prohibition Act. The United States brings forward recommendations through bilateral,
multilateral, and regional efforts. As agreements are developed, the United States implements
those agreements.

Throughout 2014, NMFS participated in meetings of international regional fishery management

organizations. At many of these meetings, the U.S. delegations supported or introduced
proposals to strengthen international shark management. International 2014 actions included
supporting regional CITES workshops in Brazil and Senegal covering topics including CITES
requirements, chain of custody, species identification using several visual guides, morphological
tools (iSharkFin), and genetic techniques. The International Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) recommendation for Atlantic shortfin mako requires parties to improve
domestic data reporting systems and provide additional information to ICCAT about how they
monitor and manage catches of shortfin mako sharks. The U.S. delegations to the International
Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the North Pacific Ocean (ISC) and its
Shark Working Group contributed to an updated stock assessment of blue shark in the North
Pacific Ocean using two stock assessment approaches. The United States also contributed to the
ISCs progress on the first stock assessment for shortfin mako shark in the North Pacific Ocean,
which is expected to be completed in 2015. The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries
Commission adopted a conservation and management measure (CMM) 2014-05 for sharks that
regulates the kind of fishing gear carried by longline vessels to reduce unintentional shark take.
Also in 2014, the ISC and the Secretariat of the Pacific Commission conducted a stock
assessment for North Pacific blue shark. Oceanic whitetip sharks, three species of hammerhead
sharks, porbeagle sharks, and manta rays were also added to Appendix II of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora during 2013 and became
effective in 2014. Also, at the 11th Meeting of the Conference of Parties of the Convention on
the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), a record number of 21 shark,
ray, and sawfish species were listed on one or both of the CMS appendices. Detailed
information on international shark-related efforts during calendar year 2014 is provided in
section 3 of the appendix.

References and internet sources used to compile this report can be found in section 6 of the
appendix, available online at
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/laws_policies/sca/shark_finning_reports.html